Watered-Down PR

Water bills are soaring, and angry ratepayers are pounding at the doors. What is a water district to do except lay out some big bucks to hire a new public relations person? Such is the case over at the San Diego County Water Authority, which “is seeking candidates to fill one regular full-time Public Affairs Representative II position with an emphasis on media relations in the Public Outreach and Conservation Department,” according to a recent online employment notice. The new employee will act as a “liaison between Water Authority representatives and media executives, editorial staff and reporters, and [manage] activities and written and oral communications between them.” The successful candidate will also “Coordinate and attend editorial board meetings”; “Manage and conduct news media events with board members and staff”; and “Write commentaries, op-ed pieces, news releases, [and] message points.…” The job will pay between $5328.09 and $7165.77 a month.